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The Tonys, live: Clybourne Park, Porgy and Bess win recognition but Once sweeps the awards

By: Michael Grossberg

The Columbus Dispatch - June 10, 2012 11:31 PM

Here are my live reports and Theater Talk comments made during the 66th annual Tony
telecast:

11:05 p.m. Sunday - Once upon a time, the 66th annual Tony awards were presented.
And
Once won - not once, not twice, not thrice, but eight times in a major sweep.

Once the musical.

... and how sweep it is.

Very touched and charmed by the show from a recent New York trip, I ranked it highest among the
new musicals I saw this season. And having seen all four nominees for best musical, I knew
Once would win. But I didn't expect it to sweep so many other categories, too.

10:55 p.m. Sunday - Audra McDonald won a Tony for her poignant Bess in
Porgy and Bess and Nina Arianda won for best actress in a play for
Venus in Fur, as predicted. Yet, both actresses were thrilling to watch onstage tonight
because of their depth of emotion, which made their victories feel like genuine surprises. That's
the power of talented performers speaking and acting from the gut, folks.

It was the first award for Arianda, who only reached Broadway the season before in
Born Yesterday.
But it was the fifth Tony for McDonald, and her first for best ectresss in a musical, which
ties her with Angela Lansbury at five each.

Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis in
Porgy and Bess. File photo

10:40 p.m. It's now clear that there's a sweep of tonight's awards going on and it's building up
to a tidal wave for
Once, the Little Musical That Could.

If it wins for best musical as expected tonight, then
Once will sweep with eight Tonys by my count - including best book, director, musical
actor, scenic design, sound design, lighting and orchestrations. That should ensure the long-term
success of this whimsical almost-romance, both in New York and on the road.
Which means Columbus is going to see
Once sooner rather than later.

A scene from Once
. File photo

10:30 p.m. Sunday - It was sweet to see Hugh Jackman's wife come up to give her husband a
surprise special award. Apparently, as he said, she's very shy and avoids public speaking but made
an exception tonight to ruly surprise her husband.
Jackman is not only a huge movie star, and a possble Oscar nominee later this year for the
movie musical version of
Les Miserables. He's also an Australian actor who's become a beloved part of the Broadway
community. Good for him.

10:15 p.m. Sunday - In another surprise, this one a very happy one to report,
The Gershwins Porgy and Bess won for best musical revival over the expected winner,
Follies.
Perhaps in retrospect it was folly for the Broadway community to expect a musical that closed
in January to win over a still-running hit revival of the classic Gershwin folk opera, even if that
musical was the legendary Sondheim show that has never won the top Tony for either musical or
musical revival.
Porgy and Bess truly is a classic but rarely revived - last seen on Broadway int he
mid-70s. Although it generated some controversy for its revisions and condensation of a
four-hour show into a more accesible 2 1/2 hour musical designed for regional companies to stage
more often, this
Porgy truly works well in concept.
Of course, it also certainly excels in execution with a terrific cast led by Audra McDonald.

A scene from
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. File photo

10:00 p.m. Sunday - The first major surprise of the evening -
Clybourne Park, Bruce Norris' comic drama about race and property, is the winner for best
play, beating
Other Desert Cities.

So far, there have been no other big surprises during tonight's telecast except for design, with
Once winning for best scenic design and lighting design (thus effectively shutting out
Ghost the Musical in the category where i had the best chance) and
Follies winning for best costumes in a musical (thus beating
Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark in the only category where it had a real chance.)